Method of producing lithium salts from lithium minerals



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United States METHOD OF PRODUCING LITHIUM SALTS FROM LITHIUM MINERALS No Drawing. Application October 6, 1953,

. Serial No. 384,510

Claims priority, application Belgium May 7, 1949 I 5 Claims. or. 23-27 The present application is a continuation-in-part of applicants co-pending application Serial No. 159,390, filed May 1, 1950 (now U. S. Patent No. 2,662,809).

It is known that among the lithium ores, those containing the mineral spodumene, i. e. metasilicate of aluminum and lithium, have the lowest solubility in their natural state, especially when the spodumene is of great purity.

.In the co-pending application there is described and claimed a method of recovering lithium from its aluminum and silicate containing ores comprising mixing the ore with at least 2.5% but less than 100% of an alkaline compound selected from the group conSiSting of the oxides, carbonates and hydroxides of alkali metals other than lithium and the oxides, carbonates and hydroxides of the alkaline earth metals based upon the lithium-mineral content of the ore, calcining said mixture at a temperature from about 700 C. upwards to at least partially fuse the mixture to obtain thereby a calcined product nonleachable with water, and thereafter leaching the calcined product with an aqueous leaching electrolyte other than lithium, said electrolyte being selected from the group consisting of hydrochloric acid, alkali metal chlorides, alkali metal sulphates, alkali metal nitrates, alkaline earth chlorides and alkaline earth nitrates to obtain the lithium salt formed in the aqueous leaching solution.

The nitrates, nitrites sand sulfates of the alkaline metals other than lithium and of the alkaline earth metals may be' calcined in admixture with the lithium ore in. an

2,793,933 Patented May 28, r 1957 lice variety and it has been surprisingly found that the gamma variety obtained by calcining the ore at this temperature may readily be ground to a fine powder and thereafter leached with the electrolyte to produce surprising yields of recovered lithium in the amount of about 72%. Contrasted with the prior art processes (U. S. Patent No. 2,020,854), the calcining at 1300 C., grinding and leaching, is surprisingly efiicient as compared with, for example, the process utilizing lime stone or chalk additions in an excess amount of 100% or more, based upon the CaO content, of the lime stone relative to the weight of the lithium mineral in the ore, subsequent extraction with water and yields which are essentially no better than those found herein without the use of the lime addition.

[The formation of the gamma vitreous variety of spodumene by means of a very strong calcination of the pure ore is probably the reason for the favorable action obtained with small quantities of lime added to the ore before the calcination, since said addition substantially lowers the fusion point and the vitrification point of the mixture. The new and surprising results have been obtained with extremely low quantities of quick lime added before calcination at high temperature of the mixture of said additional quick lime with pure spodumene.

Whereas pure beta spodumene calcined at 1100" C.

7' up to the complete decrepitation of the alpha spodumene, gives but a yield of extracted lithium of 58%, the yield with pure gamma spodumene obtained by calcination at about 1300 C-. was-72%, that of the same spodumene mixed with 0.5% of quick lime and subsequently calcined at the same vitrification temperature (1300 C). was of 77%. When calcined with an addition 2% of quick lime this yield is improved up to 82% of extracted lithium.

The extraction runs are performed in all cases under exactly the sarne conditions of temperature and of pressure as well as of time of treatment.

..These results are suficiently practical for technical application if one takes into account the facility and the economy of the treatment of the ores with as small quantities of added flux as stated above.

amount of from about 0.5% up to about 100%, based upon the weight of the ore. The molar reacting quantity of the sulfate or nitrate is less than that to fully saturate the silicic acid in the ore and the mixture is calcined at:v a temperature of about 1000 C. to about 1350 C. WIIOI'O? byachemical reaction occurs which converts the lithium in the ore into a state of sufiicient solubility with. a leaching electrolyte such as a solution of an alkali metal (other than lithium) or an alkaline earth, chloride, sulfate, or nitrate. The state of saturation by calcination within the critical temperature range and with the addition of the limited amount of the sulfate or nitrate reagent as indicated above provides a calcined product which is per se non-leachable with water, in the practical commercial sense of this term.

It is well known that, by heating a lithium ore such as spodumene, which is the relatively pure ore, beta spodumene is formed at temperatures of about 1100 C. and that by raising and holding the temperature at 1300 C., the spodumene is converted into a vitreous combines with the ore.

The effectiveness of such small quantities of additions permits the use of special lime compounds to be mixed with the ore, and those which yield free lime under the action of heat during calcination, which free lime readily 4 Such compounds are not only carbonates as well as sulfates and nitrates of alkaline earth metals, but also organic salts which easily decomp'o'se' under the. action of heat such as the acetates, oxa

, late's, saccharates, etc. of lime, the admixture of such salts to the ore being facilitated (for some of them) by their solubility in water and by the consequent possibility of preparing therefrom very intimate liquid mixtures with the ore if the latter is at a powdery state.

The use of said salts heretofore was prohibitive by reason of the large amount required and their high price. Up to the present, it was unknown that such salts can be used in such small quantities as found according to the present invention. The said organic saltshave the added advantage of acting at the same time as agglutinating or binding agents for the mass during calcination, and better physical conditions are provided for uniformity of heating during calcination.

Thus, the obtained results prove that quantities of quick lime added to the ore before calcination, which are below 2.5% and about 0.5%, still yield results which are of practical importance, if there is taken into account that the yields of extracted lithium of about %-88% based on the lithium content of the on are still higher than the yields obtainable by the prior art extraction processes.

As indicated above, the spodumene ore is firstly calcined in admixture with a small amount of alkali-metal or alkaline earth metal oxides, hydroxides or salts forming these oxides during calcination. The calcination brings about a chemical reaction of the mixture, and it is a feature of the invention, that the addition of the oxide material is too small to bring about a sufficient solubility of the calcined product in pure Water to readily reach lithium salts thereby as is necessary in industrial application. It is necessary to use an aqueous solvent to leach the calcined product which has not been chemically saturated with the oxide material. The leaching solvent may be a mineral-acid such as. an aqueous hydrochloric acid but preferably an electrolyte is used, such as an aqueous solution of" salts ionized by electrolytical dissociation pro ducing anions of acid radical, such as the salts offalkalior alkaline earth metals which may be of acid, neutral or alkaline character and the operation is preferably performed at a temperature over 100 C. under super-atmosphen'c pressure.

By the calcination of the oxide mixture the, natural molecular constitution of the spodumene is altered by chemical reaction to enable the acidic anions of the aqueous electrolyte solution to react promptly and completely upon the calcined product to produce soluble lithium salts by a new chemical equilibrium.

The lixiviation of calcined lithium ore, especially spodumene, with aqueous solutions of salts is a well known method, being based upon the behavior of cationic metal base exchangers of a zeolitic nature. The calcination treatment of the invention permits a great increase in the cationic exchange reaction obtained by using a lithium ore whose aluminum silicate constitution approaches that of the zeolites, by mixing it with a moderate amount of alkaline metal oxides or substances yielding alkaline metal oxides, and thereafter calcining the mixture. The added oxides are adjusted within the limits corresponding to the permutitesor artificial zeolites. These limits are exceeded when the amount of added metal oxide is increased up to the saturation of the silicic acid in the mineral as determined bythe formation of an orthosilicate of this oxide. Such saturation is reached when the proportion of component in the mixture to be calcined is 1.1 parts oxide to 1 part mineral.

The addition of oxides beyond the permutite limit causes a destruction of the zeolitic nature of the mineral because of cationic base exchange reaction carried out in the heat, which liberates lithium oxide during the calcination period, and results in the solubility for a solution of lithium in pure water as the hydroxide. Such complete saturation is at the present time the basis of all known processes of lixiviation of lithium minerals which are calcinedwith an excess of oxide and extracted with water to dissolve the lithium oxide and other alkaline values as hydroxides, and without a wet base exchange reaction, leading directly to salts of lithium.

The lixiviation withwater of such silicates saturated with oxide of calcium ischaracterised in that the calcined residues are free from chemically retained alkali metal. It is claimed in these processes that all. kinds of alkali compounds of the ore may be recovered as hydroxides. The alkali compounds are recovered as salts only if the latter are formed as such during calcination of a mixture specially compounded with acidic salts. There is no consumption of salt in the lixiviating liquor but an extraction and recovery of all alkali compounds present in the ore and in the calcined product (see Colton 2,021,987).

The consumption of a part of the lixiviating solution together with the extraction of the lithium as a salt, is atypical zeolite reaction with a mineral of increased re-. activity according to the inventive method herein.

The alkali consumed during the wet extraction process enters into the mineral molecule to replace lithium, only as a result of a cation base exchange process. New alkali salt is added when the mother liquor is recycled, whereas in the old and known processes alkali is recovered out of a saturated solution by cooling the lixiviating liquor, to crystallize out their salts of alkali metals extracted together with the lithium from the ore or calcined mass.

In the known processes of lixiviation, lithium is already present as a water soluble salt in the calcined mass, and where lithium is extracted as a hydroxide it is present in the calcined mass as the free oxide of lithium, which reacting with water, gives a soluble hydroxide.

The aqueous electrolyte solution may contain hydrochloric acid or such salts as sodium chloride, sodium sulphate, sodium or calcium nitrate or nitrite. The anions are respectively Cl-, 504T N03, N02. They are of two kinds: The halogen anions and the anions yielding oxy salts.

Thus, the new process consists of mixing the lithium ore in a pulverized state with an oxide or an oxidic salt yielding oxide with heating such as may be chosen from the group of alkali metal oxides or hydroxides and sulphates, alkaline earth metal oxides, or hydroxides, carbonates, nitrates, nitrites or sulphates of these which are present in the mixture in an amount insufficient to completely react with all of the silicate present in the ore and insulficient to make the calcined lithium-containing product industrially soluble in water (which is' equivalent to the formation of an orthosilicate of chalk by saturation). The chemical reaction of the constituents of the mixture being carried out by calcination at a temperature which is sufficiently high to at least partially fuse (sinter) the mixture, the calcined product is brought preferably in form of a pulp in contact with an aqueous ionized solution containing anions of an acid radical in a quantity sufficient to bring about an extraction of lithium compounds from the mineral, with surprisingly high yields.

The dimensions of the calcination and extraction apparatus must be increased in nearly the same proportions as an addition to the spodumene of quantities of lime over 25% or even over 50% is used, on account of the increased masses to be treated. The limit of addition of lime in the new process is overstepped with a addition to the pure spodumene, the calcined product being then sufficiently soluble in pure water, to allow the extraction by pure Water of its lithium content.

As compound by which quick lime may be replaced in the mixture, there may specially be named burnt quick lime, slaked lime, limestone or calcium carbonate, dolomite, magnesium oxide, calcium sulphate, sodium hydroxide, sodium carbonate, sodium sulphate, a plurality of which may also be mixed with spodumene, to react therewith during calcination. With the addition of calcium sulphate, alone or together with lime, before calcination, with spodumene, it is again the small quantity of the total addition of alkaline earth oxide, which distinguishes over the processes known heretofore. In the known processes, a calcined product is produced inwhich silicic acid is in the state of saturation, as orthosilicate of lime and the lithium as a soluble compound in pure water.

It is very import-ant to note that the addition to the spodumene of small quantities of oxides, belonging to the group of the oxides of the alkali-metals or alkaline earthmetals must be effected before the calcination of the mixture and that a certain chemical reaction must take place to a greater or lesser extent, between the constituents during calcination, in order to alter the chemical constitution and the specific mineral nature of the spodumene. If on the contrary the spodumeue were calcined alone, below the beta or gamma transformation, in the pure state and if the oxides of the same nature were added to the aqueous lixiviation solution, for instance, a small amount of burnt quick lime, to the mother liquor of sodium chloride the reaction would 'be nothing more than an accommodation of the pH of the dissolving liquid, at its most favorable degree of reaction. In the present process the pH is not a critical factor, since the dissolving liquid may be acid, neutral or alkaline.

The calcined spodumene with small quantities of alk-aline earth oxides may acquire a certain amount of hydraulic properties, although this is not a necessary feature of the process according to the invention and the effect is somewhat like that encountered in the hardening of Portland cement, though to -a much lesser degree. in cement, the presence of some electrolytically dissociated salts favors the rapid hardening of the pulp, especially if heated beyond 100 C. under pressure. Due to the coagulation the dissolving action of the saline solution may be seriously hampered and it is advisable and even sometimes necessary to stir up the mass in the autoclave.

The disadvantageously effect of hydraulicity after calcination is largely compensated by the rapidity of the reaction of the spodumene reacted during calcination with the small addition of the oxide as above. At a sufiiciently high temperature in the autoclave, the hydraulic reaction may take place almost immediately and if performed under continual stirring of the pulp the coagulation of the mixture is avoided and its lithium content is rapidly dissolved into the saline solvent so that the leaching is rendered substantailly complete and irreversible.

In this manner, the low hydraulicity, caused by the calcination of the spodumene mixed with a small amount of lime, and the chemical reaction of the mixture, is followed by the rapid digestion of the calcined product which is rather inert in pure water, by'the ionizing action of the saline solutions.

Since the spodumene is contaminated by the absorption of alkaline reacting lime during the calcination, there is no tendency for the formation of free silicic acid by the water treatment and hydrolysis of the calcined ore and for the production of an impermeable coating of silicic acid about the calcined ore particles. Inversely, in the presence of alumina which is contained in the ore, the alkaline lime silicate and alumina interact to form during calcination a hydraulic composition which, during the water treatment, acts by hardening in a similar manner as does cement. This cement-like hardening of basic character of the mass may be completely avoided by appropriate stirring, maintaining thereby the fine pulp in continuous suspension in the aqueous leaching solution of the electrolyte.

As to the question of temperature of calcination it is found in all cases that the phenomenon of th e partial or complete fusion of the mixture, is a sure sign that the reaction is complete.

When the mixture is heated to itsslagging or its sinter ing temperature, complete sintering facilitates the rapid extraction of the lithium compounds and the consequent high yield. It is found that long before the first signs of fritting of the mass, that is at about 700 C., the lime begins to react with the spodumene, which itself tends to be transformed at a higher temperature to its so-c'alled beta variety, and to crumble to a very fine powder. If, afterwards, the interpenetration of the particles is not pushed too 'far by slagging or fritting and the calcin-ation is suitably interrupted, the mass may also be kept in a pluverulent state or in a state of very feeble cohesion. Thus the expenseof a further fine grinding can be obviated and the mass is prepared in a far better physical state to undergo the chemical reactions of subsequent digestion. On the other hand a partially or completely fused mass exhibits a chemical and physical state which is more stable and which permits a slower but more complete extraction to be obtained. i I An, accurate control of the best temperature of calcination depends partly upon the choice of the proper furnace for that purpose. There exist today well-..-fitted furnaces for metallurgical agglomeration of ores-and these may be used for fritting themixtures of spodumene and lime in various proportions and alight agglomeration is obtained'between 1-000 and 1350 C. This operation will beea-sy, rapid and surein its results. I

The calcined mass is then rapidly cooled, and if necessary again finely pulverized. The calcined mass has some tendency to decompose in hot water, but the lithium cannot be sufliciently dissolved, even under pressure, without the useof leaching anions of acid radicals, for example solutions of alkaline or alkaline earth salts and generally at a temperature of over 100 C. under super-atmospheric pressure.

Under a pressure of atmospheres with a corresponding boiling temperature of nearly 210 C., a solution in water of sodium chlorideas a solvent readily effects the extraction ofthe lithium compounds. At a higher pressure, e. g. 90 atmospheres at 300 C., the advantage of immediate extraction is obtained. The conditions are still better at a temperature of 400 C., but then a heavy autoclave is required. I I

The aqueous saline solution used to decompose the calcined product may comprise any water soluble metal salt, but is preferably a salt with an alkaline cation of the alkali or alkaline earth metals, without any regard to its acid, neutral or alkaline nature, the pH of the dissolving liquor not being critical. Excellent results are obtained with a solutionin water, or sodium chloride, as well as with a water solution of sodium sulphate, sodium or calcium nitrate or nitrite or calcium chloride, or with a mixture of such salts. The rapidity of the reaction is favorably influenced by a higher concentration and also by a risein the temperature.

In place of these salts in solution, an aqueous solution of free hydrochloric acid, or waste hydrochloric acid may be used.

The use of alkaline nitrate or sulphate, which have great solubility in hot water but are more expensive than sodium chloride, is not necessarily less economical, since all of the mentioned alkalis may be regenerated in the saline extraction solution, by a reagent such as sodium carbonate, which precipitates the lithium salt in sufliciently concentrated solution, whereas its acid radical returns to the sodium to regenerate the solvent. Lithium carbonate is formed, which is sufliciently insoluble to be separated by filtration, and the solution is regenerated to recover the sodium sulphate, or nitrate as well as the chloride and sodium carbonate is consumed.

Examples of carrying out the process are as follows:

Example I 10 kg. of spodumene titrating only 6.5% of LizO, instead of the theoretical value of 8.07, thus corresponding to a content of and consequently to 8 kg. of pure lithium mineral, were reduced in a jaw-crusher to about pea grain size. At this state the ore was mixed with 1% of pure finely ground quick lime, i. e. 80 gr. of CaO for 8 kg. of pure spodumene, and the mixture was heated in a rotary furnace to about 1250" C. i I

The spodumene, when reaching first 1075 C., was found to have suddenly decrepitated and to have been reduced entirely and by itself into a very fine powder which, through the influence of the rotation of the furnace, was intimately mixed with the lime, the latter having been ground in advance to a very fine state. Under the influence of further heating to a higher temperature this lime reacted with the spodumene in the mixture, lowering its fusion point, so that already at about 1200 C. there were formed in the mass nodules of sintered material as a consequence of a partial premature fusion. The spodumene thus passed to the state of partial vitrification corresponding to the form called gamma-spodumene, which involves a much deeper change of its chemical and mineral nature by the destruction of its crystals which are rendered amorphous, than the first transformation into beta spodumene, which latter affects only the form of the crystals by increasing the specific volume of the latter, this causing their decrepitation without loss ne ates 7 ottneir erystliuin'e-natn re. The ears in "the prese t case as a flux or *a vitrification "agent by which the After havrngcoeled and hasty-ground the mass, which easily lends itself to this end to a fineness eorrespendin to 200mes'h, there was formed therefrom a pulp by adding to it 15 litres of water in which there has been dissolved 55 kg. of sodium "chloride thu's' forming -'a conce'ntrated electi-olyte solution. This pulp was treated in an autoclave during one hour under a pressure of 30 atm.and at a 'tempei'ature of 235 6., under continuous stiiring. I

The analysis of the solution ofs'alts issuing -from the autoclave and that of the ore residuum after filtration, showed that 81% of the lithium previously contained in'the orewe're enter-ed into the solution.

Examine 11 :Start -ing from the sam'e lithium ore with6.5% of Li'zO reducedjqjthe same grain size, there was added thereto 5% "of QaQ in the form of CaCOa, this corresponding to anaddi-tion of 400 :gr. of quick lime contained in 715 gr. of calcium carbonate added after having been finelyground, to a charge of kg. of ore.

This mixture was calcined in the same laboratory rotar y iurnace by heating the charge up to 1200" 0., at which temperature it'was found that-there was already the formation of nodules of sintered material as the consequence of the commencement of a premature fusion. The lime had thus acted as a flux agentor as an agent ofpartial vitrification by lowering the fusion point of het bd m ne The mass was then treated as in Example -Iin the form of a pulp form ed with litres 0f water containing in solution 5.3 kgJof sodium chloride-durin'g one hour in autoclave at a pressure of 'atm. and a temperature of 2 C., under continuous stirring. I ,The quantityfof lithium which entered in this case into the saline solution was found to be about 100% of the initial ore content.

Example III The's'ame lithium tire with 6.5% of 'LizO, was caleaten in the 'sain'e rotary furnace without any addition 'of=lirne nor o'tlie'r flux, by -heating it up to 'a-tern'p'erature of 127( C. and was *th'creby vitrified nearly completely by lins'ion. Ana grinding to a fineness corresponding to 200 mesh and after treating of a pulp, obtained from the calcined ore under the same conditions as those stated above, with-sodium chloride,'in anautoclave heated 'to the 's'a'm'e temperature, under the same pressure and iiiiiing thesame time/the analysis of the solution showed tliep'rsence of 72% "of-the lithiumcontentof the ore, inthe"saline solution,as the yield of the extraction.

Kceording-tothis testthe vitrification was thus perfor'rriedwithout'theaid ot 'a flux, but at a 'e'alcination temperature which was'islightly :higher than in the 'cases of 'workin g with'an addition of lime.

it is to be mentioned "that the same test executed by working "onlyfuntil the formation of beta spodumene, without a'ny'addition 'o'fa flux, up to a temperature of 1100 '.,'at whichdecrepitation'of the spodumene takes 'plac'ef'g'ave but a lithium extraction yield of only 58%, thoughalltheother conditions of the test were the same as those stated in the preceding "examples. Example IV The above calcina'tion was -repeatedexcept to about n00 arts ors edumene calculated as the pure mineral 0;5% "ofquicklime was added "based upon the lithium content of the spodumene and c'alcination was carried but aflaterriperature er --l-250 C. for "a 'sutficient period of time to bring about firstly "the decr'cpitatio'n of the original alpha spodumeh'e, indicating the formation of beta spodumene and "then the vitrification of the spodudined product was quickly cooled, finely ground and leached with a leaching electrolyte to provide "a yield of 77% er lithium recovered. Generally the leaching electrolyte as used hereina'bove, -compr'ises 39 parts of sodium chloride or "42 parts of anhydrous sodium sulpha te to I00 parts of water, and is added 'to form a pulp of the 'calcined fproduct containing about 20% to about 50% of solids in suspension of 'the electrolyte, leaching being ca'rried out'in ah-autoclave under-efficient stirring anda pres'sureofabout 16 atmospheres forabout one hour.

The filtrate is mixed at -a boiling temperature, with a calculated 'quaritityof concentrated s'olutionof sodium carbonate in order to precipitate the very small quantitles 'of impurities i. e. silico aluminates of lime. =(This operation'm'ay also beiperformed directly 'withthe pulp, when it comes out of the/autoclave.)

After filtration and light washing'there is added afurthe'r measured dissolved amount of concentrated sodium carbonatesolution at a boiling temperature 'in order to precipitate the greatest part of lithium carbonate out of the saline solution. The filte'red and lightly washedprodnot is of ama'r-ketable industrial quality. The slight residue of impurities which separates contains a small 'percentage of lithium and this may be added to the fresh spodumene before its calcination.

During the precipitation reaction there occurs at the same time the degeneration of the saline solution 'of sodiumehlor'ide or other salts by exchange of the alkali cation with the lithium salt in solution. Any deficiency in leaching electrolyte is compensated'byan adequate addition of fresh salt (chloride, sulphate, nitrate or other sodium salt) and the solution together with the washing wateris concentrated by evaporation to the requireddegrab and is "recycled -to form newpulp. This example merely illustrates the new process, and it will be understood that as the method of separation of the lithium compounds out 'of the alkaline solution "may vary, "the nature of the products obtained 'may vary accordingly.

When the s'po'dume'ne is calcined with normal sodium sulphate (and not with calcium carbonate or quick lime) the following particulars may be given as an example:

In place of--20 parts of calcium carbonate to parts of pure spodu'mene, the chemical equivalent is added, i. e. 28 parts of anhydrous sodium sulphate, or an equivalent solution-ofthis salt. Whilecalcining that mixture, care should be taken to avoid-any formation of sulphides, by avoiding the-additionof solid fuel to'the mass and by working with an oxidizing flame.

Intheextractionautoclave there is used an electrolyte leaching'solution which is likewise composed of sodium sulphate (though use may be made for example of a solution of sodium chloride) and, after' filtration-of 'the residue, the solutionis regenerated by sodium carbonate, while precipitating the lithium carbonate to obtain the sodium sulphate or sodium chloride.

In place of the saline solutions for the dissolution ofthe lithium compounds out of the calcined product, use can be made of free hydrochloric acid in aqueous solution. While indeed'the pure spodumene, calcined alone, is insoluble in a boiling concentrated solution of hydrochloric acid --in water, the mixture of 100 parts of pure spodumene calcined with 10 parts of lime (for example) is decomposed by that reagent.

In order to reduce the simultaneous dissolution of considerable quantities of silico-aluminate together with the lithium oxide,'it is preferable to use only the smallest possible quantities of hydrochloricacid. It is also prefer able to get rid in the filtrate of'th'e fesidue "o'f'thesp'oduniene and eliminate as much as possible the dissolved silicic acid and *aluminate, by evaporating to dryness and 'b'y'heatifig'toabout 3 50" C., inord'er'to render those impui'itis insoluble.

From this second residue the lithium salt may b'e'e'x- 'tr'aeted "with water.

9 Example V 100 parts of spodumene (calculated as the pure mineral) being in the natural alpha state or in the calcined beta modification state are intimately mixed with 6 parts of anhydrous calcium sulphate (calculated at the pure state) in a wet grinder, by which these are at the same time reduced to a fineness corresponding to 200 mesh. The mass so obtained is heated at 1150 to 1200 C. and thereby agglomerated in a rotary kiln which is easily regulable.

When marked agglomeration (more or less complete fusion) has taken place, it is usually of advantage to grind the agglomerated or fused product to a fine state, after it has been suddenly cooled. The powdered calcine resulting from the initial mixture of spodumene and sulphate of calcium is then suspended in water, to form a pulp. The pulp contains from about to 50% of solids in suspension and the lixiviating electrolyte is in solution, preferably in a concentrated state. Thus the water used to form the pulp may contain, in solution, 39 parts of sodium chloride or 42 parts of anhydrous sodium sulphate to 100 parts of water. The pulp may be prepared in an iron vat provided with a stirring device.

The pulp is brought into an autoclave provided with an efficient stirring and mixing device and adapted for continuous operation. It is heated, for example, to 200 C., and the vapors evolved by the liquid phase are kept under a pressure of about 16 atmospheres, these conditions being maintained for one hour, conveniently, without interrupting the stirring and thereafter the mixture is cooled. The pulp is then removed, decanted, filtered and washed with boiling water. A yield of nearly 100% is here obtained, the residue on the filter being practically free of lithium.

The few impurities may be removed as in Example I above and the electrolyte may be replenished as indicated in Example IV when the process is to be carried out in a continuous manner.

It is thought that the invention and its advantages will be understood from the foregoing description and it is apparent that various changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention or sacrificing its material advantages, the forms hereinbefore described being merely preferred embodiments thereof.

What is claimed is:

1. The method of producing lithium salts from silicoaluminous lithium ores, which comprises calcining the ore at a temperature from about 1100 to about 1300 C. to a state of at least partial fusion and vitrification, whereby the ore is converted into a vitreous and substantially non-crystalline state, cooling and finely grinding the calcined mass, and extracting the lithium as a salt therefrom with an aqueous leaching solution of a substance selected from the group consisting of hydrochloric acid, sodium chloride, potassium chloride, sodium sulfate,

potassium sulfate, sodium nitrate, potassium nitrate, so-

dium nitrite, potassium nitrite, calcium chloride, calcium nitrate and calcium nitrite, at superatmospheric pressure and at a temperature from about 100 to about 400 C. 5 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the lithium ore is spodumene.

3. The method of producing lithium salts from silicoalurninous lithium ores, which comprises mixing with the ore from about 0.5% to 2.5%, based on the lithium mineral content of the ore, of a flux selected from the group consisting of calcium oxide, calcium hydroxide, calcium carbonate, calcium sulfate, dolomite, magnesium oxide, sodium hydroxide, sodium carbonate and sodium sulfate, calcining the mixture of ore and flux at a temperar ture from about 1100 to about 1300 C. to a state of at least partial fusion and vitrification, cooling and finely grinding the calcined mass, and extracting the lithium as a salt therefrom with an aqueous leaching solution of a substance selected from the group consisting of hydrochloric acid, sodium chloride, potassium chloride, sodium sulfate, potassium sulfate, sodium nitrate, potassium nitrate, sodium nitrite, potassium nitrite, calcium chloride, calcium nitrate and calcium nitrite, at superatmospheric pressure and at a temperature from about 100 to about 4. The method of claim 3, wherein the lithium ore is spodumene.

5. The method of producing lithium salts from spodumene which comprises mixing with the spodumene from about 0.5% to 2.5 based on the lithium mineral content, of calcium oxide as flux, calcining the mixture of ore and flux at a temperature from about 1100" to about 1300 C. to a state of at least partial fusion and vitrification, cooling and finely grinding the calcined mass, and extracting the lithium as a salt therefrom with an aqueous leaching solution of a substance selected from the group consisting of hydrochloric acid, sodium chloride, potassium chloride, sodium sulfate, potassium sulfate, sodium nitrate, potassium nitrate, sodium nitrite, potassium nitrite, calcium chloride, calcium nitrate and calcium nitrite, at superatmospheric pressure, and at a temperature from about to about 400 C.

References Cited in the file of this patent OTHER REFERENCES Sternberg et al.: Production of Lithium Chloride From Spodumene by a Lime Gypsum Roast Process, Bureau of Mines, Report of Investigations, R. I. 3848, March 1946. r 

1. THE METHOD OF PRODUCING LITHIUM SALTS FROM SILICOALUMINOUS LITHIUM ORES, WHICH COMPRISES CALCINING THE ORE AT A TEMPERATURE FROM ABOUT 1100* TO ABOUT 1300* C. TO A STATE OF AT LEAST PARTIAL FUSION AND VITRIFICATION, WHEREBY THE ORE IS CONVERTED INTO A VITREOUS AND SUBSTANTIALLY NON-CRYSTALLINE STATE, COOLING AND FINELY GRINDING THE CALCINED MASS, AND EXTRACTING THE LITHIUM AS A SALT THEREFROM WITH AN AQUEOUS LEACHING SOLUTION OF A SUBSTANCE SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF HYDROCHLORIC ACID, SODIUM CHLORIDE, POTASSIUM CHLORIDE, SODIUM SULFATE, POTASSIUM SULFATE, SODIUM NITRATE, POTASSIUM NITRATE, SODIUM NITRITE, POTASSIUM NITRITE, CALCIUM CHLORIDE, CALCIUM NITRATE AND CALCIUM NITRITE, AT SUPERATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE AND AT A TEMPERATURE FROM ABOUT 100* TO ABOUT 400*C. 